PRGT to seek public comment on Environmental Assessment Application

Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project (PRGT) has submitted an application for an Environmental Assessment Certificate with the BC Environmental Assessment Office (EAO). Today the 180 day EAO public review period begins, which includes a 45 day period where the public can provide comments on the application.

If approved, the proposed pipeline will safely deliver natural gas from a point near Hudson's Hope to a proposed LNG facility on Lelu Island within the District of Port Edward. The proposed pipeline is approximately 900 km in length. The LNG facility is a separate project by Pacific NorthWest LNG Ltd.

Within the 180 day EAO public review period is a 45 day public comment period, which runs from 26 May 2014 to 10 July 2014. The EAO will prepare a report based on its internal review of the application, input from the working group, as well as comments received from the public, and submit recommendations on the proposed Project to the Government of British Columbia.

"With our application now complete, the BC EAO public review is an important step in the regulatory process for the PRGT project," said Alex Pourbaix, TransCanada's Executive Vice President and President, development. "By transporting natural gas to export markets, PRGT will support thousands of jobs in the natural gas sector and other industries and provide significant tax revenue for government, which helps to pay for the important social services British Columbians and other Canadians rely upon."

PRGT's application consists of more than 8500 pages of text, maps and tables. The required content of the application was developed through a public process that generated the Application Information Requirements (AIR) issued by the EAO in February, 2014. The AIR process included a public comment period, open houses, and input from the EAO working group whose members represent federal, provincial, and local governments and Aboriginal groups.

The application was subjected to a 30 day completeness review by the EAO and the working group, which ensured that the application met all the Application Information Requirements.

The application is available for review on the BC EAO website and has been distributed to public libraries in the project area, as well as to TransCanada offices in Fort St. John, Prince George and Vancouver. A summary of the application is available on the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project website.

Adapted from press release by Hannah Priestley-Eaton

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/19052014/prgt_to_seek_public_comment_on_environmental_assessment_application/